System and apparatus for handling freight



Dec. 28 1926.

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B. l. BUDD SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FO HANDLING FREIGHT Filed March 3l. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Uur-:UU

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B. E. BUDD SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING FREIGHT 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 3l. 1926 WAK Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRITTON I. BUDD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T CHICAGO NORTH SHORE & MILWAUKEE RAILROAD COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SYSTEM AND vAPPARATUS FOR HANDLING FREIGHT.

Application led March 31, 1926. Serial No. 98,818.

My invention relates to handling and conveying goods, particularly in less than car-load lots. While the invention is particularly applicable to shipment of goods in less than car-load lots, it is not to be limited to such use.

Consider the situation of a shipper who wishes to send a consignment of goods or materials in less than a car-load lot by way of a carrier having a ixedtrack, that is, railroad, running between definite stations. The goods must first be transported to the station and then delivered to the agent of the carrier. The carrier must then provide a car into which the goods unay be loaded,

such car being stopped at the station of the carrier nearest the consignee. There the car is opened and the goods are taken from the car and then they are delivered by cartage to the consignee.

In addition to the excessive amount of handling and the cost of the various operations, there is the added disadvantage of opening the car to remove a part of the load. This is conducive to confusion and subjects the carrier to likelihood ot loss by theft.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide the shipper with compartments or boxes which may be loaded and sealed and then carted to the station of thc. carrier, where they are loaded upon the platform of the car and transported to the station nearest the consignee for discharge from the car and delivery by cartage to the consignee.

The preferred form of my invention comprises the provision of a road vehicle having a compartment for goods, which vehicle is transported on its own road wheels over a roadway andloaded onto a railroad car by means otl a tractor.

According to one aspect ot the present invention, the carrier, that is, the railroad,

" may take the goods from the door of the Y shipper to the door of the consignee. The goods are put into the custody of the carrier at the door of the consignor by delivering a wheeled container with the goods therein into the custody of the carrier. This wheeled container is then transported by the Vcarrier over the roadway or street to the platform of the railroad car.4 The railroad car is then hauled to the station of the carrier adjacent the consignee, and the carrier then transports the wheeled container to the door 'of the consignec and delivers the wheeled container into his custody.

This makes possible a doortodoor service by the carrier. that is, the railroad.

According to the preferred means for carrying out my invention, I provide as a fundamental unit a semi-trailer chassis having thereupon a body forming a compartment suitable for locking and/or sealing. The trailer has supporting legs preferably in the shape of jacks, so that the compartment which comprises the body of the trailer may stand upon the road wheels and upon said legs. A tractor is provided in conjunction with the trailer to haul the same to and fro, and to load and unload the same upon a railroad car of a design suitable to receive one or more of said trailers. A preferred form of railroad car for this purpose is disclosed in the co-pending application of Harold A. Otis, Serial No. 98,746, filed March 31, 1926. Further, I provide a loading and unloading station at which suitable platforms are provided for loading and unloading the trailer compartment lengthwise onto and off of the railroad cars by means of the same tractor or tractors which haul said trailers over the streets or roadways to and from the shipper or transfer station.

While I prefer the use of asemi-trailer, it is to be understood that it is within the scope of my invention to employ a full trailer, although I find that the semi-trailer is more easily handled and is entirely satisfactory.

While I speak of taking the loaded compartments from or to the premises of the shipper, it is to be understood that collection and distribution or transfer stations might be established at any convenient point or points.

While I have above described the preferred manner of carryingr out my invention. I do not wish to be limited to that particular construction or mode of operation. I may. for example, employ compartment cars which are loaded longitudinally onto the platform of a motor driven dirigible road vehicle, such as a truck, and thereafter loaded crosswise upon the railroad car. These compartment cars may have flanged wheels that run upon tracks, or they may have road wheels or rollers.

In both embodiments referred to the con1- partmcnts are vehicles in themselves and are adapted to be transported by a dirigible motor vehicle, from whence they are transfel-red onto the platform of a railroad car.

Now in order to aryrquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of constructing and operating a device embodying my invention, I shal describe iu connection with the accompanying drawings a system of transporting goods embodying my invention.

In the drawings Figure l is a diagramn'iatic plan View of a system embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a loading platform, a railroad car for receiving the trailer, and a tractor and trailer `in the operation of loading the car;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the car with two trailers loaded thereupon;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified system embodying my invention;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the same; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the loaded railroad car and the stationary platform.

In Figure 1 the premises of the consignor vor shipper are shown at 10. These premises face upon a road or street 11, and comprise a sending or shipping platform 12 and a receiving platform 13, a suitable court or yard 14 being provided adjacent these platforms to permit of maneuvering the trailers or semi-trailers 15 between the roadway 11 and the platforms 12 and 13.

These trailers 15 are shown more in detail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. They comprise each essentially a body forming a compartment 16, this body being mounted upon a chassis which may be formed integral with the body, the chassis 17 comprising in this instance the road wheels 18 mounted on a suitable axle 19 atthe rear of the trai'er, and springs 20 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. I lay no claim to the trailer per as the construction 'of this trailer is well known iu the art prior to my invention.

At its forward end the trailer has a fifth wheel and coupler 2l which is adapted to rest, upon a companion fifth wheel upon the. rear cud of a tractor 23. said tractor having a kim! pin 2t adapted to be projected upwardly into the center or axis of the Iifth wheel 21 to provide a pivotal connection between thetracto'r 23 and the trailer 15. The tractor 23 is a well known form of road locomotive constructed particularly for coupling *the same, if desired.

to the trailer and haulin the same over any suit-able roadway or surface.

In the form in which I have embodied. my invention in practice, I employ a lVhite tractor and a highway trailer.

The compartments 16 are provided with a pair of doors, as indicated, for example, at 25 in Figure 1 on the particular trailer C which is standing at the sending platform 12'. These doors ars swung on vertical pivots and are provided with' suitable means .for locking the same closed and for sealing Except for the doors at there-ar, the compartments 16 are completel'v closed, so that when the doors 25 are closed and locked the goods in the compartments are not subject to tampering or theft.

lhe platforms 12 and 13 are of a height substantially level with the iioor of the trailers when the same are backed up to said platforms 12 and 13 for receiving and sending, that is, unloading and loading. The station or premises 10 of the shipper may be a warehouse. a factory, a transfer station, or any other place where goods are handled. In the present instance the station 10 is the station of the original consigner or shipper which is remote from the railroad tracks 26 of the common carrier or railroad.

The carrier or railraod provides a station at 27 consisting of a yard or court 28 providing maneuvering room for the tractors with their trailers and a suitable number of stub tracks 29 connected by suitable switches with the main tracks 26 of the railroad system. The stub tracks 29, as shown on the righthand side of Figure 1, have platforms 31 adapted to co-operate with railroad cars 32 such as shown on the stub tracks of Figure 1, and as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. A

The stub tracks 30 on the left of Figure 1 likewise have platforms 33 for co-operating with railroad cars 32. Each platfrom 3l or 33 comprises an inclined portion 34 and a substantially level or horizontal portion 35, as shown in Figure 2. The end of the horizontal portion 35 is shaped, as shown at 36, to receive the rounded or convex end of the railroad car 32. Guide rails 37 are provided along the sides of the platform to guide the wheels of the trailer and tractor onto the platform or deck of the car. The car 32 likewise has guard or guide railsI 33 extending along the edges from end to end to keep the trailer on the platform as it is loaded thereupon by the tractor 23 or rcmoved therefrom by said tractor.

The railroad car 32 has stanchions or posts 3S), 39 extending up from the guards or guides 3S on each side, these posts or stanchions having pivoted strut members 40 adapted t0 be swung inwardly and to exllt) tend under the edge of the trailer to su port the weight of the forward end of t 1e trailer when the trailer is loaded onto the car deck or platform. The forward end of the trailer has a pair of legs 41 in the form of manually operable screw jacks for raising or lowering the front end of the trailer -to couple or uncouple the same to or from the tractor 23 and to support the trailer 15 while the same is being loaded or unloaded, or while it is mounted on the deck of the car 32.

The particular construction of the car is more fully described in the aforesaid application of Harold A. Otis.

The extensible legs 41 may be folded up in the position shown at the right of Figure 2 while the trailer is supported at its front end on the tractor.

The trailer is backed onto the deck of the railroad car, the front end is then jacked up by means of the extensible legs, then the strut members 40 are thrown under the front part of the trailer and the jacks 41 drop the weight of the front end of the trailer, or a part of the same, upon said struts 40. The car is provided with cables 42 terminating in hooks 43 and adapted to hook into leyes 44 on the trailer for securing the cables to the trailer. The cables are secured to reels or drums adapted to be 0pated by a hand crank, such as is employed for operating the jacks 41, and thru a pawl and ratchet mechanism 45 the cables 42 are drawn taut.

The cables are preferably disposed diagonally, both with respect to the transverse and the longitudinal dimension of the trailer and car, so that the trailer is braced in all directions and held down upon the deck of the car. -I have shown the reels as mounted within they hollow stanchions or posts 39, but obviously they may be disposed in any 'suitable position on the car 32.

The operation of the system is briefly as follows Assumey that the shipper, at the station 10, desires to ship Vgoods to a consignee by way of the railroad, the tracks of which are indicated at 26. The shipper, by means of the tractor 23, brings an empty trailer to the sending or shipping platform 12 and backs the trailer up to the platform, opening the doors of the compartment to receive goods. If desired, the trailer may be left on the premises of the shipper for loading. The compartment is then loaded with the goods to be shipped and the doors are closed and the compartment is sealed. The shipper notifies the carrier that the compartment is loaded and ready to leave the shippers premises. The carrier then sends a tractor. such as shown at 23 in the lower left hand corner of Figure l, to pick up, for example, the trailer A which is loaded and sealed.

The trailer is then hauled over the roadways 11 and 22 to the station or yard 28, Where the trailer and tractor are maneuvered in the court 28 to back the trailer and tractor'up the incline, for example, as shown at .33 in Figure 1 to place the trailer upon the deck of the car 32.

The car, shown at the uppermost stub track 30 in Figure 1, is loaded with two trailers in place, and this car 32 is ready to be hauled away.

The car on the second stub track at the upper left hand corner of Figure l is shown with one trailer thereupon and the tractor and trailer are shown at 52 in the court yard 28 preparatory to backing the trailer up on the deck of the car. This operation is shown better in Figures 2 and 3. Obviously, instead of having separate platforms and inclines a common platform and a common incline provided with suitable guard rails, such as shown at 37, may be employed.

It will be observed that the two trailers f or each car are loaded from the same end of the car. car they must be Itaken off in the same direction. If the trailers are full trailers and not semi-trailers, it would be possible to take them off of either end of the car, anzl bence only one set of platforms would be l necessary,but Where the trailers are of the character shown in Figures 1 to 4, that is, scmi-trailers, which can be operated by the tractors only from one end, two sets of platforms must be employed or else the loading at all stations must be uniform, that is, loaded .on from the same e-nd so that it would be unnecessary to turn a car around in order to unload it.

After the trailer is loaded onto the deck of the car, the tractor is free to haul another trailer, that is, for example, to unload a car and haul the loaded compartment therefrom to the consignee. For example, assume the station at the premises 10 also receives goods, then the tractor shown at 52 in Figure 1, after it has loaded its trailer 15 onto the car 32, might haul a trailer with its load or cargo to Ithe receiving platform 13 and back the same up to the receiving platform to be unloaded or freed of its contents. After the car is loaded with two trailers, as shown at the upper left hand corner of .Figure 1 and it isy ready to be shipped to another station by way of the rails 26, a suitable locomotive which may be a steam, gasoline, or electric locomotive. as shown at 46, is coupled onto the car and either singly or in a train hauled by way of the main line 26 to the desired receiving station where the reverse operation is performed, namely. backing the car 47 up to a suitable stub platform and then unloadingr the trailers 15 therefrom by means of a tractor 23 at that station and hauling the Hence, in order to unload the lll) .lll

trailer to the desired destination by way of the roads or streets upon which the tractors and trailers are adapted to move.

It Will be seen that according to the method of operation which I have above disclosed, the car 32 is adapted to receive two semi-trailers or trailers longitudinally and these trailers are anchored upon the car deck for shipment. I do not Wish to confine the invention to this specific mode of embodiment or operation, and I have in Figures 5, 6 and 7 shown a modification of the system in which the unit is a compartment 60 adapted to be loaded crosswise upon the deck of a car 61. In the formi shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, I have employed flanged wheels (32 ruiming' on tracks 63 vformed of suitable T rails, or the like, but it is to be understood that these supporting Wheels 62 need not be flanged but may be small road Wheels or rollers.

The deck of the car 61 is provided with a series of tracks 63 onto which the units 60 are loaded. In this case the door to door '-ff. motor and railroad transport is accomplished through the medium of the truck 65, which is a dirigible road motor driven vehicle having a suitable deck or platform 66 provided with longitudinal rails 67 for receiving the Wheels 62 of the units 60 for transportation by Wayl of the roads or streets. The truck is adapted to receive two of these units and it is provided With cross diagonal cables 68 adapted to be fastened by hooks to the eyes 69, these cables being Wound upon reels having the pawl and ratchet mechanism 70, as is employed in connection with the railroad cars 32 shown in the previous embodiment. The diagonal cross cables 68 hold the units 60 firmly upon the platform 66 of the truck 65 for transportation over the roads and streets.

The platform of the truck 65 is of a height suitable to register with platform 72 at the railroad station, which platform 72 has the rails or tracks 73 adapted to receive the units 60. A transfer car 75 running on a track 76 makes it possible to receive a unit from the platform 72 and transport the same into register with the desired tracks on the railroad car 61. As a matter of fact, the truck 65 may discharge its units 60 directly onto the transfer car 75.

The units 60 are secured onto the platform 61 in any preferred manner. I preferably use the cross diagonal cables, suchas are shown upon the truck 65.

For the purpose. of employing the power of the truck 65 for loading and unloading, I provide a flexible cable, preferably in the form of a rope, as shown at 77 in Figure 6, this rope having a hook 78 adaptedyto hook onto the units 60 for hauling them oif of or onto the platform of the truck 65. The truck preferably has a windlass 79 at its front end near the cab 80 and a pulley or sheave 81 may be mounted u on a suitable stake or support 82 The ook 78 is fastened into one of the eyes 69 and the cable, which may be a manila rope, is trained over the sheave 81 and the end applied b hand over the windlass or drum 79 which may be in operation, so that by looping the end of the cable 77 for one or more turns upon the drum 79 the compartment 60 may be unloaded under the control of the operator.

In a similar manner the hook 78 With the cable 77 and drum 79 may be employed for pulling the unit 60 onto the platform of the vehicle.

The operation of this form of the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The road vehicle 65 takes the empty units 60 to the platform of the shipper, Where they are loaded and sealed and then loaded back onto the truck 65 and hauled to the railroad station where they are discharged onto the platform 72, from whence they are loaded onto the plat form of the car 61 and anchored in place for shipment. At the delivery end the reverse operations are performed, that is, the units 60 are released from the platform of the car 61, discharged onto the platform, such as 72, and from there transferred to the deck or platform of the truck 65 and hauled to the consignee who receives the compartments in sealed condition and unloads them.

I do not intend to be limited to the specific modes of embodyin the invention which I have shown, and in fact, there may be a combination of the two forms of the invention Without departing from the spirit of the Same.

I believe I am the first to provide broadly a system for making it possible for the railroad to take the goods from the door of the shipping station and delivering them to the door of the receiving station, where these two are not connected directly by rail. The system permits the carrier to have custody of the goods from the time thatl they leave the shipper to the time they are delivered to the receiver. There is no necessity for opening the compartments until they are delivered at their destination. Consequently, loss by theft or confusion is greatly minimized.

I do not intend to be limited to the details shown or described.

I claim 1. The method of handling and convey ing goods consisting in removably mounting a container on a road vehicle, transporting the container to 'goods to be shipped to a single destination and placing such goods in the container, transporting the loaded container to a point of shipment and loading it directly from and by means of said veh1cle onto a railway car, transporting the con- CII tainer by railway to the station nearest its point of destinatlon, and removing the container from the car and delivering it by means of a second road vehicle to its point of destination.

2. The method of handling and conveying goods consisting in mounting a container on a road vehicle, transporting the container to goods to be shipped to a single destination, removing the container from the vehicle and loading the goods therein, the vehicle being released for other service during loading of the container, replacing the loaded container on the vehicle and transporting it to a point of shipment, loading the container on a railway car and transporting it by railway to the station nearest its point of destination, and then removing the container from the car and placing it on a second road vehicle and delivering it thereby to its point of destination.

3. The method of handling and conveying goods consisting in roviding a suitable wheeled container, loa ing the container on a motor vehicle by means of power supplied thereby, transporting the container to the goods to be shipped and placing the goods therein, transporting the loaded container to a. point of shipment, removing the container from the vehicle b power supplied thereby, loading the container on a railway car and shipping it to the station nearest its point of destination, removing the container from the car and loading it onto a second motor vehicle b means of power supplied thereby, and t en delivering the container to its point of destination by means of said second motor vehicle.

4. The method of handling and conveying goods consisting in removably mounting a container on a motor road vehicle, transporting the container to oods to be shipped to a single destination an placing the. goods in the container, transporting the `loaded container to a point of shipment, removing the container from the vehicle and loading it onto a railwa car, and then shipping the container by rallway to its point of destination on the railway.

5. In combination, a first vehicle having supporting wheels, a .second vehicle having a compartment for goods in less than carthe vehicle, said vehicle having a body iorm.

ing a compartment, an incline adapted to register with the deck of the railroad car, and a tractor for said semitrailer for transporting the same over said incline.

7. In combination, a railroad car .having track wheels and a deck, compartments having supporting wheels, said compartments being loaded on the decks of the railroad car and anchored thereto, a platform for loading said compartments upon the deck of the car, and a motor truck having a deck registering with the loading platform, said motor car being adapted to receive said compartments to transport them over a roadway. s

8. Means for transporting goods by road and rail comprising a railroad car having a deck, a platform, a motor car running on a roadway and having a deck, and movable compartments havlng wheels, vand a platform adapted to register with the deck of the railroad car and with the deck of the motor car for transfer of said compartments from the railroad car to the motor car, or vice versa.

9. Means for transporting goods by road and rail comprising a railroa car having a deck, a platform, a motor car running y on a roadway and having a deck and movable compartments having wheels, and a platform adapted to register with the deck of the railroad car and with the deck of the motor car for transfer of said compartments from the railroad car to the motor car, or vice versa, and means on the deck of the motor car and means on the deck of the railroad car for anchoring said compartments.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of March, 1926.

BRITTON I. BUDD. 

